Politics

Florida splits on picks for '08

Presidential hopefuls from New York lead in donations in South Florida, but they aren't tops here.

By ALEX LEARY and CONNIE HUMBURG
Published July 17, 2007

Mitt Romney, left, leads Republican donations in the bay area while Barack Obama leads in the Democratic column.
	[AP Photos]

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In the intense chase for presidential cash in Florida, new campaign finance reports show two distinct Sunshine States. There are clear Republican and Democratic front-runners in the Tampa Bay area, and there are clear - and different - front-runners in South Florida.

In the Tampa Bay area, Mitt Romney leads Republicans, while Barack Obama is the top Democratic money gatherer.

In South Florida, the leaders are Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

There are so many transplanted New Yorkers in South Florida that it is called the "sixth borough." And this year, the borough has been good to its kin.

Donors in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami have given Clinton, a senator from New York, $2.8-million to advance her presidential bid.

The same territory has handed $1.7-million to Giuliani, former mayor of New York.

No other candidate in the crowded race exceeds Clinton or Giuliani in South Florida, a St. Petersburg Times analysis of federal campaign reports shows.

Campaign funding may not be the best way to evaluate a candidate's ability, but a bigger war chest carries the power of television advertising, which is critical in a state the size of Florida, where a week of commercials costs $1-million.

South Florida may have the deepest pockets in the state, and Miami may be the most expensive TV market. But it is not the biggest market.

That title goes to the Tampa Bay area, where Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has collected $350,000 - $100,000 more than Giuliani and $162,000 more than Clinton. Obama, a senator from Illinois, also bested Clinton by $100,000.

The reason for Romney's success seems largely tied to a well-connected fundraising team led by former Ambassador Mel Sembler of St. Petersburg and his son Brent.

The Semblers had just finished raising gobs of money for Charlie Crist's gubernatorial race when they turned their attention to Romney.

"They had a machine that was primed and ready to go," said David Johnson, a political consultant and former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida.

Romney, who has raised nearly $2-million in Florida since the start of the campaign, has also done well in the Panhandle. That might seem odd given the knock on his conservative credentials. Romney has taken heat for changing his views on abortion, for example, becoming a firm opponent.

Allan Bense, a Panama City businessman and former speaker of the Florida House, said something else resonates for voters in the region.

"Family values are very important up here, and (Romney) has been married for 37 years," Bense said. "That tells me a lot about a person."

Bense recently held a fundraiser for Romney at his home that drew 250 people and raised just under $100,000.

Yet despite his ability to connect with big donors and a campaign staff that rivals the size of Giuliani's, Romney has trailed in polls.

The disconnect could begin to turn off potential supporters, some observers say. Sembler said that will change as Romney invests more to gain name recognition.

"You've got to use the megaphone of money to get your name out," Sembler said.

New York, New York

Giuliani, of course, is not afflicted with the name ID problem. A popular figure known for cleaning up New York City and appearing on Saturday Night Live, he assumed a more somber national persona after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

For Giuliani, traveling to South Florida is not that different from working the trail in his home state.

New York exports more people to Florida than any other state. From 1995 to 2000 alone, 308,000 New Yorkers relocated to the area, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

"There's a certain connection there, but I think it goes well beyond that," said Ed Pozzuoli, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer and top Giuliani fundraiser. "The mayor has a proven record of accomplishment."

South Florida Republicans tend to be more moderate on social issues, which fits well with Giuliani's stance on gay rights and abortion.

The same hometown dynamic has catapulted Clinton on the Democratic side. Of the $3.4-million she has raised in Florida, $2.8-million comes from South Florida.

Bob Buckhorn of Tampa, an unaffiliated Democratic consultant, said the initial waves of retirees from New York tended to be union members who are attracted to a more traditional candidate such as Clinton than, say, Obama.

While Obama has kept overall fundraising in line with his chief rival, Clinton owns South Florida. In the first two quarters of the election cycle, she has collected $2.8-million there, compared with Obama's $1-million, records show.

Clinton also does well among the Jewish New Yorkers. And she can tap friendships formed by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Still, Obama has the edge in the Tampa Bay area, outraising Clinton by about $100,000. In April, nearly 2,000 people showed up for a $25-per-head fundraiser rally in Ybor City and another 100 showed up for a $2,300-per-person reception in South Tampa.

The personal approach matches well for the area. "People in the I-4 corridor want to be dated before they get married," quipped Buckhorn, referring to the swath of moderate ticket-splitting voters between St. Petersburg and Daytona Beach.

Though Clinton leads all candidates in Florida, Obama has outraised everyone else in the Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Gainesville markets.

The third top Democratic candidate, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, has had the least fundraising success among the top six contenders in Florida.

He has raised about $1-million so far.

Edwards, however, is partly hurt by forces outside his control. When Florida moved up its presidential primary to Jan. 29, it scrambled his strategy to focus on Iowa and New Hampshire, states in which he has a strong organization, name recognition and polling.

But whatever challenges Edwards may face, they are mild next to those of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former front-runner. McCain's campaign is now teetering on collapse.

Florida provides a window into that trouble. The first quarter, he took in $980,000. Reports filed Sunday showed his second-quarter receipts dropped to $467,000.

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report.

[Last modified July 17, 2007, 00:42:39]